Means for locking traveling cranes.



W. K. MONROE.

MEANS FOR LOCKING TRAVELING CRANE-S. APPLIOATION nun) D120. 2, 19wv 1,064,51 9. Patented June 10, 1913.

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Wltulnu: Inventor W. KIYONROB. MEANS FOR LOCKING TRAVELING GBANES,

APPLIGATEOH FILED 1330.2, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

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MEANS FOR LOCKING TRAVELING GRANES.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.2, 1912.

1,064,519 Patented June 10, 1913.

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WILL K. MONROE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BROWN HOISTING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION.

MEANS FOR LOOKING TRAVELING To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILL K. MoNnoE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Means for Looking Traveling Cranes, of which a clear andexact description, with references therein to drawings that accompany and make a part of the specifications, is hereinafter fully set forth.

7 Broadly considered, the device is applicable to any structure that is movable on rails or along a firm course, but, in practice, its widest adaptation will be in connection with constructions of the overhead crane type as the same are employed on docks, or in the yards of shops, for the handling of ore, coal and structural material of various sorts. In such cases the crane proper, or tramway por tion, is supported in a horizontal position above the field for operation by piers and shear-legs at the respective ends which lat-- ter are movably mounted on rails that ex tend to the redetermined distance for its travel. Un or these conditions, and by reason of the-weight and superficial dimensions involved, the structure is liable, at times, to a sudden motive impulse from windpressure, sufiicient to overcome an ordinary resisting appliances that are use Nevertheless, aside from obtaining the most effective locking applicable to the situation, it is highly important to both life and prop. erty that the means employed shall not depend upon the summoning of s eeial help, on each occasion, but may be e ected, and the locking be made or unmade, instantane ously, by the operator himself whenever, from his look-out point on the crane, he re izes the need.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a crane su ported by the customary pier and shear, provided with the device in question. Fig. 2 is an end View of the pier end of the same. Fig. 3, an end view of the shear end. is an enlarged of the foot of said pier orshear, and the operative parts and mechanisms belonging to the invention Fig. 5 is a plan of Fig. 4-. Fig. 6 is a plan of electric wiringapplicable. Fig. 7 is another plan sue a wiring. Fig. 8 illustrates a form of the device, when a series of locking members are employed, instead Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 2, 1912.

Serial No. 784,585.

of a single member or piece, and, Fig. 9 is an end view of Fig. 8.

1 is a traveling crane supported, at one end, by the pier 2 and, at the other, by the shear 3, the supports themselves being carried by trucks 8, 8, that are adapted to travel on the rails 4, 4.

5 and 5 denote man-trolleys trav'ersibly mounted on the bridge itself.

In the drawings the rails 4 are laid upon and supported by a series of parallel ties .6 which are shown as firmly seated in a bed 7, and, in such position, as projectin somewhat above the upper surface pf the ed. 5

The trucks 8, 8, at each end of the bridges, are joined together by sills 9, 9, which serve as the necessary supporting framework or base for a crane-traversing motor 10, pawh like parts or tongue-pieces 11, and a solenoid apparatus for operating the same to'be hereinafter more fully explained.

The pawl-like parts 11, in Figs. 4 and ,5 are represented as single, oppositely re eted )ieces, mediately connected to the sills by rackets 13 fastened to the undersides of the sills near their ends. Said pieces are joined to the brackets by the ivots 12 that ass through the brackets an pieces along t eir upper end or side. 3 In this manner said pieces are free, under normal conditions, to turn on their pivots downwardly and en age any predetermined obstacle in thepat of Patented June 10, 1913.

their forward travel and stop further move- 4 shown in Fig. 9. In gform a sufiicient 10o l freedom of action 15 ernntted the several,

members of the series y threading them together upon a rod 38 that passes through a transverse slot 39 in the same near the for-- ward end of each piece. Said pawl-like pieces should be of such length that when the free ends are at the lowest or normal point of flu; allowed movement, the pieces themselves will be dependent from the sills at an acute angle with the horizontal.

At any convenient point'on the sills 9 a rigid standard 11 is located to serve as a fulcrum for an oscillating lever 15 which is suitably pivoted to the same. The lever 15 is shown as made up of two parallel bars 15 united together with space between the same to permit a sheave 1G to be mounted.

therein at the end on an axle 15".

A series of sheaves 17, 18, are arranged upon the sill below and to the right and left of the sheave 16, and in alinement with the free ends of-the oppositely related pawl-like pieces 11. From the other arm of the lever 15 a switclrplate or contact piece 19 is flexibly suspended within a guide 20 on the up per side of the sills 9 provided for the pur pose. Intermediately of the fulcrum point of the lever 15 and the sheave 16, above and around said lever, a standard 22 projects from the sills for the purpose of supporting a solenoid, indicated by 21, which is connected to the lever beneath by a link 23. The latter should be of suitable length to allow the lever-arm to which it is connected to descend, when the solenoid is deenergized, far enough to correspondingly raise the other arm to a sutficient distance to carry the pendent switch-plate 19 out of contact.

A rope is rceved around the sheave and extends downwardly on each side thereof under sheaves 17 to and around sheaves 18, in both directions, downwardly to the free ends of the pieces 11, to which the rope is fastened. When the pieces 11 are single, as in Figs. 4 and 5, the rope may be fastened to the piece directly as these indicated, but when the piece is made up of a series of members, as in Figs. 8 and 9, the connection may be indirect, as through a bail 40, that engages the ends of the rod However the connection is made, the rope should be of the proper length to till the several leads specified when the solenoid 22, being deenergized, the lever 15 and the ends of the ieces 11, are in their normal attitudes. htops 25 are located on the under side of the sills to limit the upward movement of the tongue-pieces 11.

A motor is shown at 10, for actuating the trucks 8 upon the rails and thereby traversing the crane above the same. Its operative coupling for the purpose,by gears and shafting to one of such trucks, is indicated by 20.

In order to delay or prolong the descent of the lever-arm, and the pawl-parts or pieces 11 when the current is shut off from the motor and solenoid. circuits, until the crane travel has come to a stop, I interpose a dash-pot 35 beneath the lever arm referred to, with its dasher 36 connected to said lever by the rod 37.

The electric wiring required for the operation of said device, as planned, s shown 111 two systems; that in (3 being adapted in the conditions when the controller r controllers cm 'iloyed :n'c statitmary u re specl. in the :nnirlrollcy, and, the on in Flg. 7, when the controllers are lot-a with in the trolley itself. in these tigu thev 'the trolley, and of course, without need of a special plug connection in the previous form.

The controllers are indicated by and 33.

A crane or similar construction provided with electrically controlled and operated tongue-pieces 11, in the manner described, will manifestly be entirely protected against unexpected movement at all times when the current governing the movement of the crane itself is turned off. Under such con dition, inasmuch as the circuits that actuate the mechanism to raise the pawls or tonguepieces 11, are subordinate to and dependent upon the circuit that actuates the crane motor, when the crane itself has come to a. stand-still, said oppositely related ieces must become free to fall into position fin an immediate engagement at their forward ends with a tie, or other fixed stop or obstacle for the purpose.

Any wind-force tending to move the crane in the direction of either of said pieces will of course then be effectually resisted by such engagement. When the machine is without power, during nights or other; regular periods of idleness, its permanent or normal condition will also'be a locked condition while during working hours, the locking or unlocking can never occur without the knowledge and positive act to that end by the operator himself. This, because the pawls can only b o lifted from their engagement with the tics 6, by energizing the solenoid 21 and, this can only be el'l'ected, in Fig. 6, by the operator deliberately bring ing his trolley up to the stationary controller s 32, and inserting the plug for the switch 35. Thereupon, and not before, if the controller handle is moved, the circuit QS QQ will be completed, the solenoid Q1 energized, which will raise the lever-arm of the lever 15, and the pawls 22 connected therewith.

In the meantime, the other arm of said lever .will dcsrcnd until the cente -{piece 2-" ace 4cm 8 closes the circuit 2830, which closure will energize the solenoid-switch cl o the circuit switch at that. point and thereby encrgizc the cranei'notor 10. The crane will thus be started along the rails, but, inasmuch the lever arms by which the necessary contact for the purpose is made, are so proper tioned that a suflicient downward movement of the arm carrying the contactepiece 19, to close the circuit. 2b--30, cannot tulle place until a corresponding upward movement of the other arm has occurred that has sufficed to raise the pawl or tonguepieces ll entirely clear of their engagements with the ties 5, no premature starting of the crane can occur.

In the reverse operation of bringing the crane to a stop, the controller handle must, of course, be moved back to zero, with the result, in eithcr of the forms or systems dis-- closed, that the motor and the throughout the system will be di is a and the pawls allowed to fall into their destined locking engagements by their own wei ht. To guard against the latter action of said pawls occurring before lllOIllBi'l tum of the crane is exhausted and its move-- ment along the rails has ceased, inc dash; pot arrangement, 35, 36 and S? is provided to retard the fall of the levcnarin connected with said pawls until the possibility of their forward ends encountering the ties while the crane is moving has passed.

Of course there are details in the apparatns just described that may be varied or changed without departing from the in vention as it is intended to be claimed. Such, for instance, is the tonguepiece ll which is equally considered as Within the meaning of the claims whether single in constructiom'made up in. a series of bars, or pieces, as specified, or in other form; so too, any other form than railroad ties may be used for the stops when directly in the line of travel, and, indeed a construct in admissible where the pawls might oscillate laterally of the rails and the stops be arranged accordingly.

Having thus described my said invention as embodied in a concrete mechanism, what I claim as new and Wish to protect by Lettors Patent is l. A means for locking traveling cranes and similar construct-ions, comprising the combination with. a tongue-piece pivotally connected to the same, of a series of stops for said piece located exteriorly of the crane within the lowest range of the oscillation of the piece around said pivotal connection, together with ele lly controlled means for oscillating 1' f upv-iardly around said connection position clear of said stops, substani y shown and described.

2. A means for locking traveling and similar constructions, comprising the combination of'oppositely related tonguepieces pivotally attached to the same, a solenoid on said crane, a lever suitably connected to the solenoid to be actuated thereby when said solenoid is energized, and, t0 the tongue pieces to oscillate the same around their pivotal connections to the crane when actuated, as aforesaid, and an electric circuit controlled from said crane and interrupted by said solenoid, substantially as shown and described.

3. A means for locking traveling cranes and similar constructions, comprising the combination of oppositely related tonguepieces pivotally attached to and depending from the same, a solenoid on said crane, a lever suitably connected to the solenoid to be actuated thereby when the solenoid isencruised, and to the tongue-pieces to raisd'the do around their pivotal connections to c when actuated, aforesaid, and an electric circuit, crane and. interrupted by said solenoid substantially as shown and described.

l. The combination, with an electric traveling crane movably mounted upon rails and supporting ties, of oppositely related tongue-pieces pivotally attached at one end of said pieces to the frame Work of said crane and depending downwardly therefrom below the upper surface of the ties, suitable solenoid mechanism on the crane to raise said pieces upwardly, around their pivotal connections with the crane, from below said surface of the ties when said solehold is energized, and an electric circuit, controlled from said crane, and interrupted by said solenoid, substantially as shown and described.

- 5. The combination, with an electric trav cling crane or similar structurc,"0f oppositely related tonguepieccs pivotally attached at one end oi: said pieces to the frame-work of the crane, and depending downwardly therefrom in the path of its travel, stops suitably arranged at intervals in said path to engage said pieces when in their downwardly depending position, suitable solenoid mechanism on the crane to raise said pieces out of said engagement with the stops when the solenoid is energized, and thereafter to close the electric circuit that actuates the cranetraveling motor, together with a subordinate electric circuit for energizing said solenoid, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination, with an electric traveling crane or similar structure, of oppositely related tongue-pieces pivotally attached at. one end of said pieces to the framework of the crane, and depending downwardly therefrom in the path of its travel, stops suitably arranged at intervals in said path to engage said pieces whenin their downwardly-depending position, suitenergizing said solenoid and said motor, able soleriioid mechanism; on the crane to 1 substantially as shown and described. raise sai pieces out 0 said enga ement. I 1 w 1 with the stops when the solenoid 1 enerl WILL MD} bflgized and to close an electric circuit that i In presence 0fcontrols the crane-traveling motion circuit, L. P. Lirrs, together with, electric circuits for severally J. P. Down. 

